Evaluation of the Effects of Allelopathic Aqueous Plant Extracts, as Potential Preparations for Seed Dressing, on the Modulation of Cauliflower Seed Germination

Allelopathic plants can be widely used in bio-farming considering their potential role in the improvement of seed germination. The study presented in this work was designed to evaluate the effects of two extraction methods and the effects of allelopathic aqueous extracts from twenty plants as seed dressing preparations on the number of germinating and infested seeds of cauliflower (Brassica oleracea convarietas L. botrytis var. botrytis). Plant extracts (in the form of cold-soaked macerates and infusions) were used for seed dressing. The percentages of normally germinating, non-germinating, and pathogen-infested seeds were determined in a paper test. Of the 20 herbal plant species used in the study, the biopreparations extracted from Zea mays L. moles were the most effective as they evoked the most beneficial effects on both seed germination and reduction of infestation by microbial pathogens. The study also showed that infusions used for seed treatment were better at improving cauliflower seed germination than were macerates. This method of extract preparation probably enabled an increase both in the availability and activity of allelochemical compounds.